I would turn the rev-limiter down to about 4000. and make CAGS maditory for any speed in 1st gear. Itll keep him from racing, thats for sure.


This isn't his first car, is it?

I had a v6 Camaro(read: screen name) from 16-18 then I was stepped up to a Z28. At 18.75 I stepped up to Trick Flow heads

 

young kid + LS1 = TROUBLE!!! I know...

 

Thats awesome! Hahaha. The service guys must hate you

Andy

 

I agree 100% with Jon. In fact I would go further and suggest forgetting the WS6 and getting him a Chevy Malibu or something tame like that. Part of learning responsibility is learning humility (not embarrassment, but the art of being happy with simple things by not attaching one's own worth to one's possesions). When he lands that big job and is making the bucks then he can buy his own WS6, which will have 2 advantages:

1: It will be HIS car, not one daddy gave him.

2: It won't be crippled by daddy to make it baby-safe so junior can drive it.

(I am sure many would like to shoot me now as well as Jon.)

 

Kids might want to shoot us, but if you or a close friend has ever lost a child I don't think they would be gunning for either of us.

If what I said saves even one kid, I'd take all the verbal abuse folks could heap on me.

You have to live thru a gearhead child's early driving years to really get an appreciation for what may happen.

FWIW, limiting the engine to 4000 rpm doesn't limit it's acceleration capability below that rpm, which is near the torque peak. WS6 and SS Camaros have stickier tires and tighter suspensions so they respond to driver inputs quicker. That means they respond to improper inputs faster and can get the driver in way over his/her head easier.

IMO, giving a new, unschooled driver a WS6 or equivalent car is child abuse, and if the kid buys the farm in the car because of the parents' decision to give him/her that car, the parents should be held criminally liable.

I toned the previous paragraph down a bit. I do sincerely hope hhhornet's kid survives. I really never want to have to say, "I told you so."

Jon

 

I fear I will sound like a "stupid kid" stepping in here but I just want to give my 2 cents. I got my 67 chevelle when I was 16 and it was pretty fast (not as fast as a WS6) and it didn't brake well (4-wheel no power drums) and handled like and old boat. I will admit it wasn't nor is it the safest car on the road but I don't think I ever put my self in any extremely stupid situations. I am 21 now and in college and I have learned many lessons driving as well as upgrades like disc brakes and the now ongoing LS1 swap have occured to my chevelle. I guess my point is you can't protect your kids from everything you teach them the best you can and you gotta have faith. I know personally I would have resented my parents quite a bit if they had prevented me from buying the car I wanted. I have been safe and I must say some of my friends have not so maybe it takes a certain type of person to handle the power and responsiblity. I also agree with Old SStroker about going to a school like skip barber. I never have been but I am sure I could learn alot by going to one. I did do drivers ed which taught me alot but there is no such thing as too much training when it comes to driving especially when its something as cool as the skip barber school. Hope my opinion coming from the "teenagers" point of view helps.

 

Education is definitely the answer. The car is quick and fast. You will be blocking half the problem. If he likes the looks, get him a firebird, get a dual tailpipe muffler and stick a ws6 style hood on it. Maybe he will live slightly longer. Crawl before you walk, much less run with the bulls!

 

my first car was a 2001 WS6 and had a blast! if you teach your son to drive it right and not act like a jackass then he will be fine.

plus if hes into cars then it gives you a reason to hang out and wrench on the car together.

 

The exception not the rule. Resentment is a small price to pay. Dead he won't be pissed at all but Daddy will have to live with the fact he gave jr. the equivilant of a load gun to play with and hope he doesn't do something stupid. To himself or someone else.

 

The thing that probably makes his situation worse is that he is in cleveland ohio not oklahoma city oklahoma like me. Where's all the old timers out there that used to street race musclecars back in the late 60's early 70's? I know ther eare some dad's out there that did it and its some of the best memories of their lives. I think if he takes the time to ride with his son and teach him how to drive it he will learn pretty quick whether or not he can handle it.

 

I didn't read the whole thread so i'm not sure if it was touched on.. but if you do have the limiter changed you might check and see if he has any buddies working at any GM dealerships because that limiter change can be vetoed by a reflash really easy.. lol

Thats what I would do if I was young and dumb again..

 

Good input, pist0lpete. You are certainly no "stupid kid". You seem to be squared away. My fear is that the father, hhornet doesn't autocross or do track days in a high performance car like the WS6, and that his son is a typical 16 year old with a hot car and no training. That scares me.

Hang out here more. You have something to contribute.

Jon

 

As a recent graduate of "being a stupid teenager"...I can say I'm VERY happy that I started out in a 1987 Buick Skyhawk. I think I'm a very agressive person/driver too, I haven't been to Skip Barber (my family couldn't afford to send me even though I asked many times), but I have been to some other local driving schools (some of the AutoX and road racing guys setup some schools around here), I learned a LOT at those schools, and it has definitely helped me tremendously.

Had I started out in an LS1 car...even with a speed limiter set at 80, I'd still be dead. That WS.6 can still blow donuts all day long, still has enough power to kick the rear end out at 60 if you're pushing it HARD through a corner of an offramp and put the gas pedal down because you don't know how to drive...has a tight enough chassis/suspension that when an inexperienced driver does find him/herself not in a "normal" situation, they'll probably overcorrect and hit the guardrail with the other side of the car instead. Plowing a guardrail, or a tree, or a telephone pole, or another car, or a person at 80-90 can result in SERIOUS injuries or death. Putting the kid in a car like a 2001 Malibu or something else that drives with the wrong tires will make him less likely to push the limits (because they're not NEARLY as high) and thus much less likely to have a bad accident. There's always the chance of minor fender benders...especially with a brand new driver...wouldn't you rather they happen in a car that isn't so expensive, and you don't really need to care if you have it looking really perfect than have them happen in a car like a WS.6 that you're going to spend more on and you'll want to keep in good shape?

 

All that said, if I ever do have kids of my own...I plan on having them participate in any form of racing they can as they grow up, be it junior dragsters, dirt bikes, legend cars, whatever you can think of...I figure the more they can learn about driving before they're on the street without supervision, the better.

Has your son ever had any REAL driving experience? Has he been to any quality driving schools (not the nonsense you go through to get your license where they say "this red octagon sign that says 'stop' means bring the vehicle to a complete stop")?

 

Thanks for posting. You said it more eloquently than I ever could. I hope hhornet reads this entire thread.

Most SCCA Auto-X training is very good. The EVO schools are even better. Good luck to you.

Jon

 

https://ls1tech.com/forums/advanced-engineering-tech/396223-what-forum-please-read-before-posting.html

 

Report the thread to PSJ and ask him to delete it or move it to some other venue. It is perhaps more important than most of the "Advanced Tech" threads like oil leaks and V6 Trans Ams, to cite a few recent ones.

Jon

 

A lot of very good discussion going on here. I think a lot depends on the kid. Using myself as an example, my first car was a 1963 Pontiac Catalina with a modded 389 (not the stock Cat engine, this one had a 4-bbl Carter carb about the diameter of a saucer). It scared my dad the first time he drove it. Nonetheless my folks felt that I could be trusted with the car, as I was the nerdy geek type (plastic rim glasses, pocket protector, the works) who would not do anything stupid in it. In fact our insurance salesman told my folks once that he was getting irritated over a car in front of him poking along, and then saw it was me. Contrast that with a classmate I rode with (once!) who had a Dodge Monaco and went 70 MPH in a 25 MPH residential area. The key is that HHornet87, who knows his son far better than any of us, apparently feels his son cannot be trusted with the WS6, and so he has to cripple it somehow. My answer is in that case his son should not even have such a car. With power comes responsibility.

 

Or whether HP/Liter is a valid measurement. This thread may actually save some lives.

 

Jim,
If its an auto you can adjust the shift points so it wont downshift at the upper speeds and shifts at say 5500. that lowering the rev limiter along with pulling timing will make it quite tame.
Nice avitar